Background
Workplace bullying is a serious psychological work health and safety (WHS) hazard in Australia and a core contributor to psychological injuries at work, with bullying claims increasing in recent years despite the decreasing frequency rate of mental stress claims overall. Evidence from the international research literature together with analysis of bullying complaints lodged by South Australian workers with SafeWork SA, suggests that workplace bullying is primarily a product of poor organisational functioning rather than interpersonal relationship conflicts.
A major barrier for effectively addressing bullying at work is that common anti-bullying approaches position bullying as a behavioural problem. Strategies such as workplace bullying policies, bullying awareness training, and complaints investigation focus directly on the bullying behaviour that takes place between individuals, overlooking the root causes of such behaviour in the work environment and systems of work.
Researchers at the University of South Australia (UniSA) have developed a new evidence-based practical solution for bridging the gap between what is known about the causes of workplace bullying, and what can be done to address them: a risk audit tool and risk management intervention process, created by analysing real-life workplace bullying complaints and validated in a range of sectors (e.g., health, custodial corrections, community services, government, food retailing, WHS regulation).
Risk Management of Workplace Bullying as a Psychological WHS Hazard
According to Safe Work Australia’s Fact Sheet on Preventing Psychological Injury Under Work Health and Safety Laws , psychological hazards such as workplace bullying should be mitigated in a risk management cycle involving four steps:
• Identifying hazards: to work out which aspects of work and the work environment have the potential to cause harm.
• Assessing the risk: to understand the nature, seriousness, and likelihood of harm that could be caused by the hazards.
• Controlling the risks: to implement the most effective, reasonably practicable control measures to minimise the risk of harm, and to ensure that the control measures remain effective over time.
• Reviewing the hazards and control measures: to ensure they are working as planned and adjusted as needed.
A general principle of this risk management process is that risks are best controlled by addressing factors in the work environment and systems of work (i.e., the organisational risk factors). Focussing on the behaviour of workers is considered least effective because it does not tackle the inherent risks in the work situation. Effective prevention of workplace bullying therefore involves mitigating the organisational risk factors, rather than (only) addressing bullying behaviour.
New Evidence-Based Approach Developed at UniSA
The workplace bullying risk management approach developed at the UniSA provides an intervention methodology and set of practical tools to carry out the risk management cycle outlined by Safe Work Australia.
There are four stages in UniSA’s workplace bullying risk management approach:
• Diagnosis using the evidence-based risk audit tool (online graphical survey) to generate a unique diagnostic profile for each team or work area within an organisation/agency;
• Generation of Solutions that respond to key risk factors highlighted in the diagnostic profile, through participatory co-design workshops;
• Implementation of the solutions generated by staff to redesign aspects of the work environment and systems of work; and
• Evaluation of the impact of the solutions and flow-on changes in the nature and level of risk for psychological injury.
Why it Works
Validation studies highlight three important factors underpinning the success of UniSA’s risk management approach:
• The intelligence-led focus on the root causes of workplace bullying, which frames the generation of sustainable and effective work redesign solutions that tackle the organisational risk factors;
• The generation of a unique diagnostic profile for each team or work area within the organisation/agency that resonates with staff and motivates action and commitment in the local areas; and
• The meaningful engagement and participation of staff in generating and implementing solutions to create and cement positive changes within the work environment and systems of work.
What Can be Achieved Using the Risk Management Approach
Illustrative examples of the types of positive outcomes that can be realised by following the workplace bullying risk management approach include:
• Through applying the risk management methodology and implementing the solutions generated by staff, a custodial corrections complex recorded a reduction in absenteeism of 29% (approximately 3,000 hours) as compared against three years of baseline data.
• WHS inspectors using the tool in response to requests for service have indicated that the risk audit tool improves the quality and efficiency of the regulatory response to workplace bullying and is shifting understanding within organisations of the nature of psychological risks.
• Supermarket store managers have described how implementing the risk management process in stores has fostered a more positive and mentally healthy work environment that helps staff members to work together, rather than in conflict with each other, to manage increased customer and stock demands associated with COVID-19 lockdowns.
Expected benefits include:
- By going through the risk assessment process, organisations can identify where the organisational risk of bullying lie, then isolate and address focal points for the risk management of bullying.
- Using the risk audit tool, organisations can identify hot spots for bullying, stress, and other threats to the mental health and well-being of their staff.
- Intractable bullying problems can be resolved by redesigning aspects of the work environment, systems, and processes, in collaboration with staff.
- Guided by the risk audit tool, organisations can create a mentally healthy workplace that supports the well-being and performance of their staff.
- The risk audit tool can assist organisations to enhance compliance with work health and safety legislation by fostering a healthy, safe and productive working environment in which the risk of harm from psychosocial hazards is systematically mitigated.
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